Wildfire
by ALEO
Summary: Even a simple assignment for another agency can have unexpected complications. Warning: drug references. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Numb3rs: Wildfire.**

_Warning – drug references._

**Disclaimer** – I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward received. All real organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however.

_A/N: Inspired by the recent California bushfires. Thought I'd try something a little different, a slower story with less action and more emphasis on character interactions. It will be short as well, just six chapters but I'll still squeeze in some pain for Don (can't help it!). Let me know how it goes._

"Man, it's really getting thick out there." Don observed as he stood fixing himself a coffee in the break room. The view out the window was virtually non-existent almost totally obscured by the thick blanket of brown haze that had covered Los Angeles for the last few days. The area where the smoke was coming from was completely lost to view. But it would take a rare fine day to be able to see that far anyway due the normal levels of smog in LA.

"Tell me about it." Megan grumped as she poured and rapidly downed a glass of water. A faint miasma of smoke hung about her.

Don sniffed the air. "You've been outside."

"That's why they made you team leader." Megan downed another glass of water. "Mind like a steel trap."

And hot outside too, Don deduced. "And don't you forget it, Agent Reeves."

She finally turned to face him and his mischievous smile. He'd sent her outside to try to catch up with a witness on a case that was going nowhere fast. It was all his fault, she gave him a light glare. The witness had been a bust. She'd just wasted an hour that she could have spent in the air-conditioned Los Angeles Field Office where the smoke was filtered out of the air. "And what does your brilliant detective mind tell you now, Special Agent Eppes?"

The tone from the ceiling mounted PA system interrupted them. _"All agents not involved in critical operations to report to briefing rooms in five minutes. That is all."_

"That we have a briefing to go to my dear Watson."

"Lead on Sherlock."

The briefing was short. The fires currently raging up in the hills above San Bernardino were out of control. Local law enforcement, forestry department and fire fighters were overwhelmed. The fires had been burning for almost a week harmlessly in unoccupied and inaccessible areas but the wind shift three days ago had blown the fire from Cedarpines Park towards the towns of Lake Arrowhead, Green Valley Lake, Running Springs and Big Bear City. It was turning into a monster, linking up with smaller spot fires that were springing up all along the ridge without warning. Other small towns were soon to be affected. Mandatory evacuation orders had been issued a day or so ago and needed to be enforced. Reinforcements were sought. LAPD were supplying as many officers as they could but due to a recent flu epidemic their numbers were already stretched painfully thin. The FBI Field Office was the next cab off the rank. Not really their line of work but the director saw it as a good public relations exercise.

Three hours later the black SUV pulled into the small parking lot outside the Green Valley Lake fire department building. The appliances were out in the field but the space was filled with vehicles. Don ended up double parking behind a forestry service truck.

Don climbed out and sucked in a lungful of high mountain air. At least that was what he wanted to do. He coughed melodramatically, waving his hand in front of his face as if that would clear the smoke. He'd thought it thick down in LA, up here it was nearly ready to carve. It was darker too, almost like an early twilight with the pall of smoke from the approaching front towering up into the sky. "Remind me again why we volunteered for this?"

Megan thumped him gently on his back to help clear his 'coughing fit'. "After all those years in New Mexico I thought you'd like a trip to the great outdoors."

"New Mexico is desert, Reeves. Not forest engulfed in wildfire." Don's reply was good natured. He was the one who had thrown their names into the recruit pile. They'd both been feeling frustrated by their current case and this was too good an opportunity to pass up, allowing them to give it a rest for a day or so. About forty agents all up had volunteered to help out. They'd been dispersed to various communities all along the ridgeline above Los Angeles.

But it was Megan who had chosen their actual assignment: Green Valley Lake, the smallest, highest altitude community on the board. The road getting up here had been ridiculous, switchback on switchback. The steepness making the engine in his SUV work hard to pull the heavy vehicle up the narrow road. Their first stop had been the gas station to refill the tank.

They walked up to the building and produced their ID to the teenager at the door. He was obviously screening those who entered. He looked at them doubtfully trying to compare the standard image of FBI agents in suits to the two agents in front of him wearing jeans and long sleeve shirts. His eyes lingered for a moment on their holstered sidearms and the badges clipped to their belts before lifting again to their faces. The boy had seen them arrive in the SUV and had noted the government tags so decided they were legit. "Wow. Real G-men." He said handing back their IDs.

"G-woman." Megan corrected, leaning closer and smiling at the archaic term. She thought he would have gone with 'fed', but what the hey, the kid must have been watching too many old movies.

"Uh, yeah." The boy stumbled seeming to be in some degree of awe. He was all of fourteen years old. "Dad, ah, the Sheriff's set up in the vehicle bay. Go right on through."

That explained why he got guard duty, Don thought. With man power running short the family of the town sheriff was just as good as the real deal. "Come on G-_woman_, let's go find the Sheriff."

"Sure thing, boss." Megan flashed a quick smile at the boy before they rounded the corner.

Upon reaching the vehicle bay they saw that temporary tables had been set up along with some whiteboards. A large local area map was the main focal point and was a permanent fixture on the wall opposite the door they'd just come through. Other laminated maps were stuck to the whiteboards on which one man was currently drawing some lines with a marker pen.

"Sheriff?" Don inquired as they got closer. He wasn't sure. The man was wearing a baseball cap with 'Sheriff' on the back and had a holstered pistol at his hip but was otherwise in plain clothes.

"Sheriff John Towers." The man acknowledge, turning away from the board.

They held up their badges. "FBI. I'm Don Eppes and this is my partner Megan Reeves."

"They told me we were getting help from the feds. I hope Max wasn't too excited to see you?"

"Max?"

"My boy on the door keeping the media at bay."

"Nah. He's a fan of the old movies I take it."

"You could say that. I wanted him to follow in my footsteps here but he has his sights set on Quantico."

"Is that a bad thing?" Megan asked, not sure what the sheriff was getting at.

"Nope." The sheriff smiled. "I was just looking forward to a third generation Sheriff. I'm sure he'd like a few minutes of your time at some point to talk about the real FBI."

"I'm sure we can manage that." Megan answered.

"So what would you like us to do?" Don asked, getting down to business.

"Have you folks had lunch yet?"

"Picked up something on the way." It was nearly 1:30 in the afternoon. If they were going to be useful today then they needed to get started.

"Okay then. How well do you know this area?"

"We don't. But if you give us a good map I'm sure we'll find our way around."

The sheriff suddenly looked a bit doubtful. "Spent much time out of the big smoke?"

"A few years in fugitive recovery. I've done my share of hiking and tracking." Don reassured the man.

"Okay. Here's a map." The sheriff decided that perhaps these feds would be okay to send out after all. He'd been worried when he'd been told he was getting some FBI agents to help out. He needed to be sure what their abilities were before he sent them out on jobs. Feds who'd spent their entire careers in the city would be useless to him. But Agent Eppes seemed matter of fact about his skills, not boastful which would have set off his alarms. Plus he'd heard about the boys in fugitive recovery, tough bunch. "You know about the mandatory evacuation notices?"

"We had a quick briefing at the Field Office."

"There are some folks up Crab Flats Road here that aren't too keen on the idea. I haven't been able to get any of my men up there yet." He traced a line on the map beside him that wound its way through the forest north of the lake and township. "What kind of vehicle have you got?"

"Chevy Suburban. Four wheel drive."

"Good. That road's not the best. I'll get you the sheets." The sheriff went to another table and sorted through a pile of papers before pulling out a set clipped together. "Here. These are all the landholders that we know of up there."

"That you know of?"

"Some of that terrain is a bit rough. Occasionally we find folks squatting in that area, so keep an eye out when you're up there."

"Sure." Don looked around. From all the vehicles parked outside he'd expected more people in the fire station. "Where is everyone?"

"All out either fighting the fire or trying to get folks to evacuate." At that moment an elderly man came in from the hall door. "All except Gene here, who is helping to keep my maps up to date."

"Gene Dixon." The man said coming over to meet them. He was wearing an old Forestry Service shirt. He noticed their looks after introductions had been made. "I retired two years ago after forty years service. I'm a bit past it to go off into the hills now, even if I do know them like the back of my hand. Where is John sending you?"

Don spread his new map out on the nearest table. He pointed out Crab Flats Road and showed Gene the list sheaf of papers. Gene spent the next five minutes going over the map and marking in pencil where each of the properties they were to visit was located.

"Then we're good to go." Don announced folding up the map.

"Take one of those bags with you." The sheriff pointed at a few large red bags stacked near the roller doors at the front of the vehicle bay. At the agent's raised eyebrow he explained. "Emergency kit. It's got water, first aid stuff, a shovel and some wool blankets. You know what to do if the fire catches you away from your vehicle?"

"Yeah. Dig a hole, wet the blanket and lay underneath it."

"First rule is _don't get caught_. The fire front's still a fair few miles off yet and we don't expect it here for a while yet so you shouldn't have any trouble."

"Got it." Don said as he collected a bag. "Comms?"

"Radios over there on the charger. The channel is preset so you can't go wrong."

"Call sign?"

"FBI will do."

Simple enough. "And yours?"

"Firebase. Be back in by nightfall. Those roads are hard to see in the dark and the front is expected to be a touch close for comfort about then."

"Roger that."

Five minutes later they were turning right off the Green Valley Lake Road and onto the strangely named Crab Flats Road. They'd had to drive back out of town towards LA to reach the intersection. The road was made of dirt and twisted and turned its way up the slope away from the lake and houses. At one point they'd seen some fire fighters at work with heavy machinery to clear some firebreaks to try to protect the township.

Two hours later and they had been successful in getting the residents they'd visited to pack up and move. It seemed that the involvement of feds convinced them of the seriousness of the situation. It had been slow going however, the driveways into the properties on their list were long and in even worse condition than the road. Now they just had one more property to visit belonging to an M. Hambly. The road, for want of a better term at this point, suddenly came to a fork. "Which way?"

Megan scrutinised the map, trying to correlate their twisted route to the line drawn on the paper. "We go right." They started to turn and a marker _'NF-3N16'_ came into sight which matched the number printed on the map, alternating with the name Crab Flats Road.

"_Firebase to FBI."_

"FBI, go ahead Firebase." Megan answered.

"_Current location?"_

Megan read out the road they were on and the junction they'd just passed.

"_Don't worry about the Hambly place, they've arrived in town. But they just told me that they saw someone head up road MF-3N16Q on a motorbike as they were coming down. Looked like some fool camper. Can I get you to back track and take a look up there?"_

"Received that." The other road meandered off further north, towards the fire front.

"_About two miles up there's a track to the left not marked on your map. Go up that half a mile to a big clearing. That's the most likely spot he would have gone to."_

"Received. Show us proceeding."

"_Watch the conditions, FBI. The fire front is approaching that area. Once you've had a look it's time to come in. Don't take too long about it."_

"Received. FBI clear."

"_Firebase clear."_

By the time Megan put the radio down Don had completed his ten point turn murdering a sapling or two in the process. He didn't think it mattered much, they were about to be kindling anyway. The difficulty in manoeuvring the large vehicle on the narrow track just reinforced his opinion that they really didn't want to be stuck up here when the fire front came through. He'd seen Megan track their new route on the map, straight towards the fire front. Hopefully as the sun started to set and allowed the day to cool the progress of the fire would slow and give them some more time.

They headed up the other track and finally twenty minutes later he saw the spur off to the left. At the slow speed they were travelling due to the condition of the track he clearly saw the scuff mark in the dirt where the motorbike had powered through the turn. There was just the one mark, no sign that the bike had returned. Eventually they reached the clearing at the end of the spur. It was a relatively large space with an impressive rock outcropping sitting squarely in the middle.

The motorbike was parked against the rocky face. It was the best place to park, well away from the trees which would soon feed the fire. Don pulled up next to the flash red machine. It looked like it belonged to someone from LA proper, some idiot city slicker come up to watch the fire.

There was no time to waste. Don jumped out to inspect the bike and the ground around it, soon locating a trail in the dirt leading off towards the edge of the clearing. Don followed it over and went a short way into the forest. He saw some more scuff marks that gave enough of an indication to show that the man had headed down into the start of a valley. There were definitely no return tracks, but as the bike was still here that was a given.

"He's gone down through there." Don announced as he hurried back to his SUV.

"Could you see him?"

"Nah. Left a good trail though, looks like he was in a hurry to get somewhere."

Megan had opened the rear doors of the suburban to grab a mouthful of water as Don had checked the tracks. She handed him the bottle before grabbing the radio and reporting in.

"_The conditions are deteriorating and the fire is generating its own wind and crowning. I'll give you half an hour. If you don't find him get back to your truck and get out of there." _The sheriff instructed.

"He's definitely down there Sheriff." Megan protested.

"_I'm not loosing two people to find one. That's an order, FBI."_

"Received. Half an hour search only. FBI clear."

"He's right Megan. The fire's getting close." He now had to tip his head right back to see the columns of smoke that rose from the front. Don tossed the bottle aside and pulled out the red bag. It had straps like a backpack so he put it on and adjusted it so it sat snugly against his back. "Let's boogie."


	2. Chapter 2

**Numb3rs: Wildfire.**

_Warning – drug references._

**Disclaimer** – I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward received. All real organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however.

The trail was easy to follow, a scuff mark here, a broken branch there. Plus the path seemed to be slightly worn as if it had been used on a semi regular basis. The two agents made their way quickly down the trail into the narrow valley clambering down over some rocks along the way. After a bit of a ravine area it widened out and became less steep. The ravine had been almost clear of brush but the trees and bushes were thickening again. All too quickly time was up.

Don stopped suddenly. He waited and it came again. "Do you hear that?"

Megan cocked her head and listened. "A chainsaw?"

That's what he had thought it was too. Someone must be out there trying to cut a firebreak. "Call the Sheriff. We're not turning back now, we're too close."

"FBI to firebase." Megan waited but received no response but a hiss of static that hadn't been there before. "FBI to firebase."

"No reception in here, or else the fire's interfering with the signal." Don decided. He took off at a jog followed by his partner.

The intermittent sounds of the chainsaw became louder. Following the faint trail they were suddenly confronted by some camouflage netting. Don reached out and touched the net as if to confirm that what he was seeing was real. He turned to Megan who also looked puzzled. The net stretched across the narrow valley. Don tried to peer through the double layer of netting but could only see a tinge of bright green. The chainsaw sounds continued from the opposite side. Don pointed to his right as he started to the left. They would come around from opposite sides.

As he followed the netting he saw that it was shaped in a rough square. It also extended over the top of the contained area, held up by ropes that disappeared into the trees. Obviously something that someone was trying to hide from aerial surveillance. A tickle in his nose bought to him by the hot, stiffening breeze confirmed his suspicions. It was a mixed in with the smoke from the fire but the acrid smell of _Cannabis sativa_ was unmistakeable. It was a drug crop and though relatively small it was obviously well looked after. By the sounds of things there was a crop sitter trying to protect it from the fire. _A bit late for that_, Don thought.

Abruptly the chainsaw started up a very short distance away. Don slowed and approached cautiously. Too cautiously. He was concentrating on what was in front of him not what was above him. There was a sharp report. He started to turn but the weight of the backpack threw him off balance and a moment later something heavy forced him to the ground. There was a second sickening crack. It was following by an excruciating, burning sensation in his lower right leg that caused him to cry out.

Don was next aware that he was trapped in something. Trying to struggle he was hampered once again by the pack on his back. Something briefly tugged at his waist. Don's awareness cleared to find that he was tangled up amongst tree branches. With a degree of disbelief he realised that a tree had fallen on him. He also realised that he couldn't move his legs as they were trapped under heavy branches. With his right leg feeling like it was white hot he started desperately trying to free himself.

"Hold still."

Turning his head Don located the source of the voice. A man was beside him and had started tugging away at the branches to help dig him out. He wore a bandanna around his lower face to filter the smoke and had on heavy clothing. All Don could see of his rescuer was sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The man reached to one side after a few seconds and lifted up a chainsaw.

"I'll have to cut some of these branches, alright?"

Don nodded. It was the quickest way to get free. His leg from the knee down was throbbing in time with his heartbeat, a sharp pain stabbing pain that did not bode well. The slightest movement sent daggers up to his lower back. He lay as still as he could whilst the chainsaw was brought to bear. The man was adept with the machine and after a few swift cuts the biggest branches from across the agent's legs were cut away.

"Freeze!"

Two heads snapped towards the sound. Don saw Megan standing about ten yards away, weapon extended and aimed at the man.

"Drop the gun." Megan ordered.

_Gun, what gun?_ Don thought. Some FBI agent he was not noticing that the man was armed. He looked back up at the man and saw him pull a handgun from the back of his waistband. It was a Glock. _No_. The agent reached for his holster to have his fears confirmed, it was empty. The flare of panic that engendered burnt away the darkness that had been forming at the edge of his sight. That explained the tug on his waist. He had assumed it was his holster getting caught up on a branch as he'd struggled earlier. He again tried to pull himself out but only succeeded in generating multi-coloured spots in his eyes as his leg emphatically protested the movement. He had to stop, gasping for breath through the pain.

"Who are you?" The man demanded.

"FBI." Megan answered. "Drop the gun and move away from my partner."

"We don't have time for this. Your partner's trapped. I'm trying to get him free. I think he's hurt as well." He kept Don's gun up and aimed back at Megan.

"Don, are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"The tree fell on me." Don forced the words out. He tried to be dispassionate but his next words sent a thrill of fear through him, given the circumstances it could be a death sentence. "I think my leg's broken."

"He needs our help to get free." The man reasoned.

"Drop the gun and step away." Megan insisted.

"He's trapped and he can't walk. The fire is too close." The man said. "Put your gun down and come help me help him."

Megan hesitated. Everything he said was true. There had been a sudden rush of hot wind and there were now some embers flying through the air. The fire front was approaching quicker than had been predicted. The Sheriff had been right when he'd said conditions were deteriorating. They were in serious trouble.

The man glanced quickly down at the trapped agent and directed his next words to him. "I don't want to kill anyone. I've got somewhere we can hole up away from the fire. I just don't want to go to jail. Tell her to put her gun down."

It took the agent a moment to process the words, he was finding it harder to concentrate and stay awake. Don gave himself a mental shake and tried. He noted that the man kept his gun aimed back at Megan and had not threatened him in any way. In fact he had immediately rendered aid once the tree had landed on him. He'd apparently not been armed himself but had taken Don's gun upon locating it without being aware of whom or what he was. He lazily watched a red ember fly past overhead before realising he was starting to zone out again.

"Up to you, Megan. Whatever you do, do it now." Don managed. After a moment he added: "I think he means well."

It was the closest Don would go to following the man's request. He would not order his partner to drop her gun. They both knew the statistics on LEOs who surrendered their weapons. 90 of them were subsequently shot with their own guns. It was already too late for Don if that was what the man intended, which he realised he actually doubted, hence his addendum. Megan was still armed, could still defend herself. If she decided to take the man on Don was in no position to help, the man was standing just out of his reach. It was also more than likely that he would pass out from the pain first. She was on her own.

But the man was right. There was no time for this if he wasn't going to end up toast. He was still trapped and without the chainsaw it was unlikely he could be freed in time. The only problem was it was getting harder to care as the dark spots took over more of his vision.

Megan released her stance. She straightened from the semi-crouch and lowered her gun. "We help him."

"That's what I'm trying to do." The man repeated.

She glanced down at the weapon in her hand then back at her partner lying amongst the tree branches. Final decision made she tossed the weapon aside. The man stepped away from Don and towards the discarded weapon. Megan moved forward cautiously and the end result was a slow circling as Megan approached Don and the man approached the gun. She didn't miss the fact that the man had lowered his gun now that the threat from her was gone.

"Let me look." Megan leant over her boss seeing his pale face and knowing he was hanging on to consciousness by a thread. She gently ran her hands down his legs feeling for injuries. She reached where the final section of tree trunk lay across his right leg and peered underneath. She winced, the angle his leg was twisted just above the ankle meant it was definitely broken.

"Bad?"

She nodded. It was a very bad break. "Yeah. Sorry boss."

"Whatever happens, be careful." Don managed. He was out of action, helpless and reliant on the man's good intentions. The last thing he wanted was for Megan to die because he couldn't help her.

Megan squeezed his shoulder briefly then looked back up.

"You'll need to move away so I can cut the tree." The man had returned and was holding the chainsaw once again. He was keeping his word.

Megan moved around so that she was on the opposite side of Don and took his hand so he could squeeze it to help with the pain. As the man fired the chainsaw up and bent to start cutting the she noted that both guns were now tucked into the rear of his waistband. Normally she would be working on negotiating with the man to get him to surrender. But given Don's situation, the proximity of the fire and the man's apparent determination to actually help she let it go for now. Without realising it she repeated Don's earlier thoughts, if she tried anything she was by herself and she couldn't see the advantage to either herself or to Don to make the attempt. They needed this man's help.

After the first cut the top section of the tree dropped away, a minute later and the second cut was finished. The man put the machine down and lifted the remaining piece of tree away. Don gasped and his hand tightened at the sudden release in pressure. Abruptly his hand fell limp. Megan turned in alarm to find that he'd passed out. She laid her fingers on his neck and checked the strong, steady pulse.

The man grabbed two short sections of a small branch and laid them either side of Don's lower right leg. He pulled his belt from his jeans and carefully fed one end of the leather under Don's leg and the two branches. He was making a splint. He reached for the unconscious agent's belt next. His hand touched Don's badge and he hesitated, raising his eyes to hers. Megan reached out and pulled the badge away, followed by Don's empty holster. The man continued and soon had the second belt positioned.

"He still out?"

"Yes." Megan slid Don's badge into her pocket but kept her grip on his hand.

The man carefully pulled then straightened the twisted leg before doing up the belts to hold the limb in place. As he finished up Don started to come around. "We have to move, can you wake him up?"

A hot wind ruffled her hair as she gently slapped her boss on the face. "C'mon Don, c'mon." It was working but too slowly. She remembered the water and quickly unzipped the pack he was still wearing and pulled out a bottle. Opening it up she sprinkled a small amount of moisture on his face. A few more slightly firmer slaps and he opened his eyes. "There you are."

"Yeah." He agreed weakly. "Did my foot fall off?" That's what it had felt like, what it still felt like.

"Still attached and splinted." It had nearly turned her stomach to watch.

The man had finished kicking parts of the tree aside. "We need to go that way, there is a cave we can shelter in. It's not far. You grab his other arm and we'll get him up." He turned to face Don. "You ready?"

Don managed a curt nod. This was not going to be fun.

"You have to stay awake." The man added.

"I'll try." He clamped his teeth together as his arms were taken and he was pulled up. The world went a bright shade of red then threatened to go black again as the change in attitude meant a fresh flow of blood to his injured leg. Each and every heartbeat was magnified. His right hand tightened on Megan's and the answering squeeze helped him to fight off the darkness.

"You okay?" Megan asked.

"Still… here." He managed to gasp out.

A quick readjustment and Don's arms were over his helper's shoulders. Living crutches in place they started moving. Don managed to keep his right leg off the ground and tried to help by putting some weight on his left. The jarring as they progressed threatened with each step to make him pass out again. He didn't know how he did it but he managed to stay awake, or at least semi-aware. He concentrated on the ground in front of him, it had started to blur but he was aware that it had turned to stone. Some awkward manoeuvring followed then there was an explosion of pain in his right leg as he jarred it on a rock.


	3. Chapter 3

**Numb3rs: Wildfire.**

_Warning – drug references._

**Disclaimer** – I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward received. All real organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however.

--

"I think he's coming around." A male voice said.

For a moment Don was unable to identify the voice, but who else could it be? "Charlie?"

"No, Don." A woman's voice filtered through his awareness. "He's not here. Can you open your eyes?"

Finally recognising the voice as Megan's his eyes opened obediently to be confronted by a rocky ceiling overhead. He frowned, _a cave?_ It all suddenly came back, the tree, the approaching fire, the man holding his gun on Megan.

He remembered now. He looked around seeing with relief that Megan sitting beside him and was unharmed. Expanding his focus he saw that a small pressure lantern provided illumination and a blanket was spread out to cover what he assumed was the cave opening. There was a red glow around the edges and a faint hint of steam rising from the blanket itself. It was as hot as all hell in the cave but he knew it was far hotter outside. There was definitely some air movement, some of the cracks and fissures in the back wall must extend to the outside somewhere allowing oxygen to flush through the cave despite the fire.

But what interested him the most was the far wall against which was leaning the blonde haired man from the crop. The bandanna was gone allowing the agent to see that the man was in his thirties and clean shaven. For someone involved in drugs he looked remarkably healthy and intelligent. His eyes met bright blue ones for a moment but the man seemed content to allow the two agents to converse without interruption.

Megan held a bottle of water up to his lips returning his attention to her. After a grateful drink of the tepid water she handed him some pills. "Paracetamol." She explained at his raised eyebrow.

Paracetamol? Morphine was what he really needed right about now. The intense pain in his leg was a constant. But if paracetamol was all she had to offer he would make do, better than nothing. Swallowing the tablets with another couple of mouthfuls of water his eyes flickered back to the man. "What's our situation?" He asked quietly, his memory of the standoff a little fuzzy towards the end.

"You've got a broken leg and we're trapped in this cave until the fire passes." That wasn't what he had meant but she wanted to ensure he was up to speed. She also glanced over at the man. "He's got both guns but I think we are okay for now."

"Are you alright?" He asked and received a nod. He looked her over more carefully, she certainly seemed alright but anything could have happened whilst he was out. "He hasn't tried to hurt you?"

"No. I'm fine. He's been helping."

"How long was I out?"

Megan glanced at her watch. "About an hour." She said with some surprise, it hadn't felt like that long. After getting into the cave the man had helped her move Don and had given her the first aid kit. More importantly he had maintained his distance and had not interfered as she had looked after the senior agent.

The man in question seemed to have decided that he had waited long enough as he suddenly pushed away from the wall. His movements were instantly tracked by both agents. He went to the blanket and splashed it with some more water to keep it moist. Well aware that he was the centre of attention he finished his job then came over and stopped a few steps away. "How's the leg?"

Don carefully raised himself up onto one elbow, trying not to move the lower half of his body. He found out in the process that he was lying on a camp cot. Looking at his injured leg he saw that his hiking boot had been removed, the leg of his jeans cut open and a bandage applied. Even allowing for the bandage he could see that his lower leg was badly swollen. Two plastic splints were bound along either side. The first aid kit provided by the Sheriff had come in handy. Bracing himself against the expected increase in pain he experimentally tried to wiggle his toes and was rewarded with a hint of movement. No nerve damage. The overall level of pain had dropped to a more acceptable score of eight from the previous score of ten out of ten. He figured the paracetamol should be good enough to lower the score at least one point once it kicked in. He was also not toast, a big plus. "Better."

"So, what is the FBI doing up here?"

"Not looking for drug crops." Don replied dryly. It had been the last thing he had expected to find in the middle of a wildfire emergency. And to then have the offender in attendance as well was sheer bad luck.

"We're here to help the Sheriff's Department with fire evacuations." Megan offered at the man's frown, this was not the time for flippancy.

"No houses down here." Suspicion clearly evident in the man's tone.

"Someone saw you going up the track. We got sent to find you and get you out before the fire hit." Don clarified.

He looked around at the cave again noticing this time a rough set of shelves holding food and a small folding table with cooking utensils. The red emergency bag Don had been carrying was against the wall beside the shelves along with a black backpack. A small crate had of all things a battery powered clock sitting on it. Some drag marks led to the cot he was lying on, it had obviously been dragged from where it was normally set up. All-in-all the cave had the appearance of regular habitation, a home away from home. It was also a perfect, natural, fire shelter to boot. "Seems you didn't need the help."

The man followed the agent's gaze around the cave. "I've stayed here before, but not during a fire."

"Looks to be holding."

"As long as we keep the blanket wet until the worst is gone, I think we'll be okay." The man agreed.

Don decided it was time for introductions after the silence stretched a little too long. "I'm Special Agent Don Eppes and my partner here is Special Agent Megan Reeves. FBI."

"Call me Toby."

Don wasn't comfortable having this conversation half lying on his back so started to sit up but discovered that the movement was too much for his leg just yet. He had to revise his pain score up half a point. The pain was still radiating up to his lower back and the movement had earned him a warning stab. He eased himself down again onto his elbow. He was not used to being helpless, to having no power over a situation. Being unable to even sit up just made it worse, but there was nothing for it so he carried on as if it didn't bother him. "So where do we stand, Toby?"

Toby looked them both over carefully as they waited for his answer. "As I told you before, I don't want to kill anyone but I don't want to go to jail either."

"No crop left to kill anyone over."

Toby glanced at the blanket as if he could see outside where his crop was being reduced to ash. "No, and I know what you're thinking. You think I'm going to blame you for that."

"Do you?" Megan asked.

"No." Toby shook his head as he turned back. "It was my own fault. I left it too late getting up here, the fire was too close."

"Why didn't you leave?" Megan wondered. "You risked your life trying to cut that firebreak."

Toby ran his hand through his hair in a gesture that reminded her of her senior agent. He shook his head at his own stupidity. "I'd spent the last three months getting it growing and I didn't want to loose it. Your stumbling across me probably saved my life. The speed that front just went over there was no way I'd have outrun it."

Megan was nodding. She'd never believed that fire could move so fast. They'd made it into the cave having to drag Don's unconscious form up the last few yards. The unconscious agent had then been unceremoniously dumped on the ground as they scrambled to wet a blanket pulled from the pack. They got it wedged into place across the opening as the flames reached the brush outside. Another minute or two continuing the standoff earlier and they would have been caught in the flames. It had been too close.

Don wasn't aware of any of that. He was concerned at the way Toby was being free with his admission of tending the crop. He'd not been cautioned, at least not that he was aware of, so that meant that the confession was inadmissible. But still, it was not a smart move and that got Don wondering if Toby had a contingency plan. "And when the fire has passed?" Don persisted. "What then?"

"Don." Megan warned, pitching her voice for his ears alone. There was an uneasy truce at the moment and she didn't want to upset the status quo.

After a glance at his partner, Don looked back up at Toby. He had read Megan's meaning and to a certain extent agreed with her but he wanted an answer now. They may not be in a position to act at the moment, unless the situation became desperate, but he still wanted to know exactly where they stood. Toby had not quite answered that question yet.

"You give me a head start." He glanced at the agent's splinted leg. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"I suppose not." Don confirmed wryly. He was certainly in no shape to pursue the other man, he couldn't even sit up. "That's all?"

"I think you've been watching too much television. The evidence is burnt to a crisp and you don't know who I am. I don't need you to do anything else."

Don felt it wasn't appropriate to point out that he had memorised the number plate attached to the motorcycle parked back at the clearing. And despite the fire he was confident that there would be more than enough evidence remaining to convict Toby of producing dangerous drugs. Something else he decided he should keep to himself. "And Agent Reeves?"

"What about her?" Toby looked at the nominated agent finding that she was dividing her attention equally between the two men. Her expression was wary. She was able bodied, and despite being disarmed, was clearly aware that she could still be regarded as a threat. Or as a useful tool. Toby faced the prone agent. "Oh, I see. I don't need a hostage and I imagine she will be concerned enough for you to stay with you rather than chase after me."

At the brief look of alarm that passed over their faces Toby paced away for a few steps before turning back. "Look, Agent, I understand why you are so worried." As an illustration of his understanding he deliberately drifted his right hand to the back of his waist where the two guns were still shoved into his belt. Confirmation was received in the form of two very tense agents. He hadn't really wanted to scare them but on the other hand having them aware that he could hurt them if he needed to was not such a bad thing. He then smiled in what he hoped was reassurance and showed his empty hands. "I truly don't mean either of you any harm. I could have left you out there, under that tree."

The two agents relaxed slightly and exchanged glances. Don took a deep breath before he spoke up trying to get his heart rate to settle back down. "I know, and believe me I'm grateful. But I am also responsible for my partner."

One side of Toby's mouth quirked upwards slightly. "I'm sure she is more than capable of looking after herself. She is FBI after all."

Despite Megan's skill at Krav Maga, something else neither agent felt was necessary for Toby to know, Don was well aware that disarming Toby was not likely to be easy. She might get one weapon back but was unlikely to get both. Toby was healthy and appeared quite well built. He certainly wasn't sickly, drug addled or had poor coordination which would have given Megan much more of an edge. After a moment's more consideration he realised that even if he had been fighting fit the outcome of a confrontation between Toby and himself would be in doubt.

"So when the fire's gone you'll just walk out of here and leave us?"

"That's the plan. You said the Sheriff sent you up here. Does he know you found anyone?"

"No."

"But he knows where you are, more or less?"

Don hesitated but felt that the truth was the best way to go. "Yeah."

The Sheriff would be frantic right about now. They'd not been in touch with him for far too long and now that the front had passed through the area they'd been in the Sheriff could only think the worst. On top of that was the fact that the man responsible for sending the agents into the area could do nothing about it until the fire had completely passed over. He also had to prioritise and right now the town had to be his main concern.

"So by morning he'll be organising a search party." Toby was obviously following the same line of reasoning. "I take off and your partner here can make it up to the ridge line and call in on the radio. They'll come and medivac you out and that will be the end of it."

Despite the suspicions Don had been projecting he was fairly sure that both he and Megan were essentially in no real danger. During the last hour and a half Toby had been presented with more than enough opportunities to remove them both from the equation. Yet he had gone out of his way to help them, cutting Don free from the tree and getting them both to this cave that only he had known about. Don was less than happy at their weapons being confiscated but considering the other options Toby could have taken it wasn't such a bad outcome. The other statistic, that about 10 of LEOs who lost their weapons to offenders survived, popped into his mind.

"Alright." He said accepting Toby's plan. Megan took his lead and nodded her agreement.

Toby smiled. "Good. Now, are either of you hungry?"

He blinked at the sudden shift in conversation. To his surprise Don's stomach growled at him, it had been a long afternoon. "Yeah." At the same time Don's elbow and shoulder were starting to protest the position he was in. Reluctantly he allowed himself to lay back. At least the pills were starting to work, he revised his pain score down half a point.

"Then I'll make some dinner." Toby went first to the blanket and splashed some more water onto it. That task completed he adjusted the small foldable table that supported his camp stove so that he could stand behind it and keep the agents in view. He then busied himself getting the food organised.

Megan watched her partner in concern as he lay back, but was relieved by his slight smile. "That was a risk, Don, pushing him like that." She admonished, speaking in soft tones as she offered him the water bottle again.

"Had to do it." He said after a few mouthfuls of water.


	4. Chapter 4

**Numb3rs: Wildfire.**

_Warning – drug references._

**Disclaimer** – I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward received. All real organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however.

"What do you think of him?" Don asked.

Despite thinking that her boss shouldn't have pushed the issue so bluntly Megan found that she had to agree with his apparent assessment. "I believe he will leave us be if we don't try to stop him. He wanted us to know that he would act if he has to but he hasn't been overtly threatening." Although Toby had just not so subtly reminded them that he had their guns it was a far cry from waving them around saying he was going to shoot them.

"With the crop gone he feels safe. He thinks there is no evidence left to charge him with an offence. Let's keep it that way."

"What about holding us prisoner?" Megan argued back, her turn to play devil's advocate. "What he's doing now is worth more jail time than that crop. He has to know that."

"Is he really holding us? Would he stop you if you went out that entrance?"

"He knows I won't try, leaving you here." The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. She had no plans of leaving Don alone with Toby, no matter how non-threatening the man tried to be.

"Think about it from a lawyer's perspective for a moment."

Megan watched their benefactor/captor as she thought it over. The lawyer would promote the fact that Toby had ensured their survival against the fire and would downplay his taking their weapons from them. Toby had gone out of his way to rescue Don from the tree. Had then helped Megan move the injured agent and provided a shelter from the fire and medical supplies. Now he was even cooking them dinner. Sure he had made threats but just to the extent of ensuring he was free to leave when he wanted and not be challenged with arrest. She was a danger to Toby but she had not been restrained nor did she have a gun pointed at her. Don was little threat. Toby's actions towards them both, at least up to this point, had been completely noble. They were being watched but that was it. Don was right, a clever lawyer would raise enough mitigating circumstances that the probability of jail time or even a conviction were in doubt.

"I see your point." Megan acceded. But as to actually allowing her to leave, she wasn't as sure as Don that she could simply walk out, fire aside, without Toby trying to stop her. But as she wasn't going to make the attempt it didn't really matter.

"Either way, as it stands there is nothing worth dying over."

"No." Megan had no argument against that. Their current situation did not warrant either of them risking death. "But we can't let our guard down."

"Yeah." Don rubbed his hand over his face. This was where he was going to let Megan down. He could feel his body telling him that he needed to sleep, to heal and escape the constant pain. Any movement on his part was still likely to cause him to pass out. He could try to keep watch, allowing Megan time to sleep during the night but: "I'm not going to be much help to you."

Megan smile in sympathy. She could see his eyelids drooping, the effort he was making to stay alert. She also had a fair idea that he was troubled by his helplessness. Reaching out a hand Megan gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "You need to rest."

Don nodded and after a final glance at Toby abandoned his struggle for the moment, allowing his eyes to close. Megan woke him briefly when the stew was ready and ensured he got his fair share from the saucepan Toby had provided after dishing out his own portion. She then vetoed the offer of coffee, considering the heat dehydration was enough of an issue without drinking a diuretic. She smiled at Don's snarl, he was addicted to the stuff, but held firm and offered him more water instead. A few minutes later with a full stomach he fell asleep again.

Megan stood and keeping her movements slow and unthreatening approached Toby with the saucepan. He had perched himself on the edge of the small crate that had been serving as a bedside table. She put the saucepan back onto the table. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He replied politely, watching her carefully. "How's he doing?"

"Sleeping again."

"Best thing for him, he has to be in a lot of pain."

Megan nodded. She hadn't missed the fact that Toby had swapped his cup to his left hand to keep his right hand free. She took a couple of slow steps backwards and sat down on the floor. That put her below his height and reduced her ability to act but it would also reduce the level of threat she presented. It had the desired effect.

Toby relaxed slightly and took a sip of his coffee, regarding her silently for a moment before speaking. "You really up here just for the fire?"

"That's right. Some of the locals weren't too keen on following the mandatory evacuation orders."

"They called in the feds for that?" He sounded like he found that rather odd.

"LAPD's a bit thin."

Toby had heard about the flu epidemic, it had been all over the news channels. Along with all the so called experts predicting crime waves. Perhaps it wasn't so odd that the feds would be called in after all. "I guess so. Sure didn't expect this."

"I think we've all had a few nasty shocks today."

"You can say that again." He regarded her again for a few seconds as if trying to find something to talk about. "You don't strike me as the FBI type."

"You don't strike me as the type to be into drugs." She saw his eyes narrow slightly, warning her that she had stepped into dangerous territory.

But he awarded the point. "Touché."

"So what do you do when you're not, ah, up here?" Now Megan was the one pushing it but she was curious. Nothing about him suggested that he was the druggie type. She would have walked right by him in the street without a second glance and she thought she was pretty good at picking out offenders on sight. Toby suddenly tensed, his body language becoming closed and protective.

"Sorry, Agent. Not going to have that conversation."

Not surprised at being shut down Megan raised a hand. "You're right. My bad."

Toby slowly relaxed again, taking another sip of coffee. "What about you? You investigate white collar crime or what?"

"Sometimes." It seemed he believed the harmless image she was trying to present otherwise he would not have assumed they dealt exclusively with white collar crime. Such crime was generally not so dangerous and she figured Toby would be shocked to see two full sets of tactical gear in the back of Don's SUV.

"You don't specialise then, in the FBI?"

"You can, but I like variety." Megan answered.

The conversation moved on from there with Toby asking general questions and Megan telling some carefully edited stories about past cases. She was working on building a rapport with Toby. Not unexpectedly he was taking pains not to reveal anything of himself, trying to keep anything that could lead to his identity concealed. She learnt enough however to believe that the crop was a sideline and not his raison d'être. He was also certainly well educated and self assured, able to cope with sudden and unexpected complications.

It was getting late when the conversation dropped into another one of those long silences indicating that the topic was about played out. Megan wasn't going to move onto either her or Don's personal lives, just as Toby wasn't willing to talk about his. Time to call it a night. She stood, stretching carefully to work out the kinks from sitting on the hard cave floor for so long. She asked for and got another blanket from the red pack before she went back to Don's cot. After checking on him she folded the blanket to make a soft pad and sat with her back against the side of the cot.

Toby moved around making himself a soft nest from another blanket and adjusting the pressure lantern until it provided only just enough light to see. He carefully positioned himself so that he could maintain a watch on the two agents and get to the guns at his belt if necessary.

In an effort to keep herself awake Megan ran her mind over the case they'd been working on this morning. True, the witness had been useless but there were still avenues that they could cover. She worked her way through them, mentally drawing up a plan of attack for when they were back at the office. During the night Don stirred and woke for a while. He tried to get her to rest but she couldn't, concerned that he would drift off to sleep again leaving no one to watch Toby. She fed him some more paracetamol and sure enough Don soon fell asleep. She never realised when her own eyes closed and didn't reopen.

Megan started awake at the touch of a hand on her shoulder. She instantly sat up and was on guard looking around wildly, hands raised in defence. Toby quickly stepped away out of reach, one hand at his waist behind his back. He waited for her to settle.

"I'm going." He said when she calmed and lowered her hands. His own right hand slowly came away empty from his belt.

Megan looked around again in the dim light of the pressure lantern and saw that the blanket had been pulled down from the cave entrance. From the pale light outside it was just barely dawn, confirmed by a quick check of her watch. She rubbed at her gritty eyes. She was chagrined to find that despite her best efforts she had fallen asleep. Seeing that Toby was standing warily a few feet away she felt able to ignore him for a moment and checked on her partner. Don was fast asleep. She wrestled with her conscience for a moment before reaching out and gently shaking her partner awake. He needed his sleep and the respite from the pain but when he'd spoken to her during the night he'd ordered her to wake him before Toby left.

"Hunh?" He automatically started to stretch and suddenly froze, wincing and dragging a breath through his teeth as he jarred his leg.

"Careful." Megan warned.

Another grunt.

"Toby's leaving."

That got his attention. Don opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbow.

"There's the radio." Toby pointed at the device he'd put down on the ground next to Megan. He then pointed off to the right out the cave mouth. "You should get reception up on that ridge. Once you've made contact I'm sure it won't take them too long to get here."

"Thanks." Megan said quickly checking the radio.

"I'm sorry we didn't meet under better circumstances, Agents. And don't get me wrong, but I hope we don't meet again."

Don bit back the first words that came to mind, they weren't completely safe yet. It was best that Toby believed he couldn't be identified and traced and that a meeting was unlikely. "I understand. Thanks again for your help."

"Letting someone die for the sake of a few thousand dollars worth of dope is not right. I couldn't do it, but I know that in your line of work you've met those who would, so I understand why you'd think that." His conversation with Megan overnight had illustrated that.

Neither agent denied it. They'd both come across people who'd kill for five dollars in a convenience store robbery, let alone an entire Cannabis crop worth thousands of dollars.

Toby shrugged his shoulders to settle his backpack more comfortably. "Good luck with the leg, I hope it mends okay." He kept a careful eye on Megan as he made his way out of the cave and then was away into the early morning.

Megan immediately started to rise, radio in hand but Don pulled her back. "Give him a few minutes. I don't want him to think you are after him."

Ten minutes crawled by before she set foot outside the cave. Megan saw the trail that Toby had left heading off to the left, back up towards the top of the little valley. She expected he would try for his motorbike. If it had survived the fire it was the quickest way for him to get out of the area and return to LA.

She just had to stop for a moment and look around at the surreal landscape. Everything was so different from the forest they'd made their way through late yesterday afternoon. Now it was like some lunar landscape, all shades of black and grey with ash and soot everywhere. The early morning light only served to make it all the more stark. Blackened tree trunks rose towards the sky, whilst others had been all but totally consumed and reduced to piles of white ash. There were still glowing embers in fallen logs and tree stumps and some small flames still licked hungrily at the charred wood. Tendrils of smoke rose all around. Megan would have to be careful where she walked.

Returning to the task at hand she headed off in the direction Toby had indicated. With the valley being fairly narrow it didn't take long to reach the ridge. She turned the radio on and waited the few seconds for it to be ready.

"FBI to firebase. FBI to firebase."

"_Firebase to FBI!"_ The reply was immediate and demanding. _"Location and status."_

Megan gave brief details of Don's injury and described their location as best she could along with the lack of radio reception in the cave or the valley. "There could even be a trail leading you straight to us. But Sheriff, be careful. There may be an armed offender headed your way." She added and provided Toby's description.

There was a moment of silence whilst the Sheriff tried to figure out how there came to be an armed offender on the loose. There were a whole range of scenarios that now came into play. The next query was a cautious: _"Are you in danger?"_

"Negative, he's left us."

"_We'll keep an eye out for him." _He sounded relieved but Megan knew he wasn't going to simply take her word for it until he had further evidence to be sure that the two agents were safe._ "We're heading out to you now. If you don't see us in two hours I want you to call us again."_

"Received. See you soon."


	5. Chapter 5

**Numb3rs: Wildfire.**

_Warning – drug references._

**Disclaimer** – I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward received. All real organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however.

-

The rescue party was dirty and dusty when they arrived. Their originally bright yellow overalls were now a dull grey. Each man pulled down their face masks and downed a bottle of water within a minute of arriving. Since the sun had fully risen the temperature had skyrocketed.

"That was quick, Sheriff." Megan was impressed thinking that they would still be another half hour or so away. She had also expected a more cautious approach to their cave. Her plan had been to wait outside to show that they were safe.

"Nearly didn't make it. That fella you warned me about came tearing down that track on a motorbike and just about wiped out my lead car. I tried to send my deputy after him but he was long gone by the time Brian had got his truck turned around. I got a BOLO out." The Sheriff explained. It made sense now, as the offender had passed them there was no longer any need for a careful approach to the cave. "I take it he was the fool camper I sent you to find?"

Don and Megan exchanged looks. Toby had made it clear. It also meant that if his motorbike had survived the fire in the clearing then Don's SUV was safe as well. A little less paperwork. They'd just survived a wildfire, Don had a badly broken leg, there was an armed offender on the loose and they were worried about paperwork.

"One and the same." Don confirmed.

Sheriff Towers swung the backpack off his back, undid the zip and started digging. He pulled out two unloaded Glocks. "These yours?"

Make that an unarmed offender on the loose. "Where were they?"

"Left on the bonnet of your SUV." He took a good look around the cave. There was clearly a story here. "Care to explain what happened?"

At that moment one of the rescue medics started probing at Don's injured leg. He hissed through his teeth and gripped the sides of the cot as the medic's well intentioned actions caused the barely managed pain to flare up.

"You just relax, Agent Eppes. I'm sure your partner can tell me."

The medics fussed over Don readying him for travel as Megan gave an account of their meeting with Toby. The first thing they did was give him some pain meds, far more effective than the paracetamol Megan had fed him. Then they explained that he was going to be carried in a litter back up to the clearing. There a helicopter would meet them and medivac him down to hospital in LA. By the time he'd been shifted from the cot into the litter things were getting fuzzy again due to the meds. He dozed off before hearing the end of Megan's explanation.

Towers whistled when she'd finished. "Nothing's ever simple with you feds is it? Max is going to just eat this up."

"C'mon Sheriff, I'm sure you've had your days too."

"Once or twice." He admitted modestly. He might run a small community but his population regularly swelled with out of town visitors that brought their own problems with them.

That reminded her. "How did the town go last night?"

"The breaks held. We made it through with no losses. The houses you visited yesterday were not so fortunate, we lost most of them." They'd had to concentrate their fire fighting on the main township. A couple of the outlying houses had survived due to the unpredictable nature of the fire, flowing around patches of land without any discernable reason. But that was the way that fire worked and you just had to roll with the punches where losses couldn't be helped and properties that survived were a bonus.

It could have been worse Megan supposed. Some of the homes they'd visited had been very nice and others dumps but the loss of any home was a tragedy for those who lost everything they owned. However lives had been saved and that was far more important.

Towers nodded over at the stretcher bearers who had taken up position around Don's litter. "Looks like we're ready to head out."

It was slow going getting back to the clearing. The stretcher bearers rotated with one of the others in the party every five minutes. The trip back up the narrow ravine at the head of the valley was tricky requiring some clever manoeuvring of the litter. But Don was securely strapped in and barely stirred. Another twenty minutes from there and they arrived in the clearing. The helicopter was already waiting having been updated on their progress as they'd reached the top of the valley.

Megan collected Don's keys to the SUV before the helicopter's doors closed and the machine lifted into the sky. The Sheriff dug back into his backpack coming up with the Glocks and their magazines. Megan accepted the weapons and climbed into the SUV.

"Well, thanks for your help, Agent Reeves." Towers started.

"Thank-you, Sheriff." She glanced back in the direction the helicopter had gone. "Thank your people for us, will you?"

"Sure. You won't believe how relieved we were to hear you on the radio this morning."

"About as relieved as I was to be able to make the call, I'm sure."

"I suppose so." He pushed her door closed. "I'll send one of my deputies back down to gather some evidence from the crop for you."

"I'll be in touch."

"Let me know how Agent Eppes goes."

"Will do. I'll also be back to have that chat to Max."

"He'll be looking forward to it." Towers stepped back. "Drive safe now."

Megan gave a little wave as she pulled away. On the way down from the ridge to LA she put Don's cell into the hands free holder and called Alan and Charlie.

---

The Eppes family were waiting at the hospital by the time she got there through the heavy LA traffic. It had been frustrating, the traffic slowed by the thick smoke haze in the air. Eventually she pulled into the hospital and parked in one of the 'police only' parking bays near the entrance. She fought her way through the packed waiting room of the accident and emergency department to the window. Flashing her badge got her the attention of the charge nurse and she was soon directed through the doors into the treatment area.

"Mr Eppes, Charlie." She greeted the two men in the curtained alcove. Don lay sleeping on the narrow bed. Charlie sat perched on the edge of the bed alternately watching his brother's face and the monitors. Alan was seated on an uncomfortable looking hospital chair, his hand over Don's above the sheet. "Any news?"

"He's been x-rayed and now we're waiting to hear from the doctor." Alan updated her.

"Has he been awake?"

"A little, after they started poking at his leg. But he hasn't been awake long enough to tell us what happened. Just something about a tree?"

"Yeah. It fell on him." Megan then went on to tell the story as briefly as she could, glossing over the more alarming aspects regarding the standoff with Toby and the fact they'd been disarmed and at the man's mercy. She knew that Alan and Charlie were aware that she was leaving stuff out, but that was for them to take up with Don. He was her boss and would not be pleased with her if she told too much of that side of the story.

Once she'd finished they went back to watching Don and waiting for the doctor. She pulled out her cell and called in to Control. She'd also memorised the registration number of the motorbike. It didn't take long to get an ID which she was able to confirm when Control sent a copy of Toby's old mugshot to her phone. The man had avoided all conversation about himself but had provided his real name under the obvious assumption that they had nothing else to go on, such as the registration of his motorbike. She'd thought him smarter than that, but going on his history he really hadn't had that many dealings with the law.

"Megan?" A slightly slurred voice asked.

"Don?" She moved closer to the bed. "How you feeling?"

He grimaced as he shifted slightly trying to get comfortable. "At least I can breathe now."

He had a broken leg but was joking about the smoke in the air outside, just as he'd been when they had first arrived up at Green Valley Lake. "Yeah, that smoke could kill you."

"Nearly did."

"Only because you tried to break the tree's fall."

"Someone had to do it." Finally a smile. Don was trying to keep the mood light for his family. The joking also helped to clear his mind from the drug induced fuzziness. He nodded at the phone in her hand. "How did you go with Control?"

"Donny." Alan warned. "You're hurt, don't worry about work now."

"It's just a broken leg, Dad." With the pain meds his leg was just a faint throb in the background allowing him to make light. A few hours ago it had been a major issue.

"In the middle of a forest fire with a drug dealer running around."

"Dad." Don groaned. "It wasn't that bad." He shot a warning glance at Megan deciding that his partner had told more than enough of the story. He then tried to cover it up when he realised that Charlie had seen it. But his younger brother was smart enough not to push it with their father present.

"Humph! We'll see, just wait til we get you home. I'll get the true story from you then." Alan promised, clearly not convinced.

Don realised that he meant it this time. Thankfully this tale really wasn't all that bad. "Alright Dad, I'll fill in the blanks. But later okay? Megan, Control?"

Risking Alan's glare she answered after holding out the phone to show him the mugshot. "Got him. Toby Jon Cooper born in 1975, lives out in Rialto, on Horizon Lane. I'll scrape together a team and we'll go get him."

"No. Call Agent Gideon at the DEA." Don had last seen the man on the Coast Guard cutter _Seahawk_ about two months ago. Back then the DEA agent had been undercover as a drug runner and had saved Don's life when another drug runner had tried to shoot him.

"DEA?" Megan was surprised, the crop hardly rated that. Recognising the name however she thought it over and suspected that Don might be calling in a favour. She had no objections to that and would need to tell the DEA agent the whole story to ensure Toby got the treatment Don wanted. "Alright."

Charlie had perked up at the name. "Cam Gideon?"

"Yeah."

"The undercover cop from the Coast Guard boat?" Alan asked with a frown. "But they only handle the big stuff."

"He's DEA. Toby had a drug crop. Makes sense to me." Don kept the explanation simple. Just then the curtain was pulled aside and Don jumped on the interruption. "So Doc, some plaster and I go home?"

"Not quite." The doctor said entering the cubicle. "Surgery first, then a few days stay before we even think about letting you go home."

"Surgery!" Alan stood.

"Legs aren't meant to support fallen trees." The doctor elaborated handing over the x-ray he was carrying.

Megan caught a glimpse of the shattered bones and flashed back to the contorted angle she'd seen Don's leg on under the tree. The x-ray was definitely a better way to see it and that was saying something. Megan decided it was time that she got to work. Don and his family also needed their privacy. "Uh, I'll ah, leave you to it then."

Don managed to spare her a glance as she left, pulling the curtain closed behind her. Meanwhile Alan and Charlie were interrogating the doctor and didn't notice her rapid exit.


	6. Chapter 6

**Numb3rs: Wildfire.**

_Warning – drug references._

**Disclaimer** – I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward received. All real organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however.

_A/N: References to one of my earlier stories: 'A Nice Day Out'. This is also a rather short chapter to wrap things up. _

_--_

The surgery had gone well, leaving him with a new scar up the side of his leg but now Don was getting frustrated at lying flat on his back in the hospital. There were two imaginary lines etched in the bed head behind him to indicate the two days he'd already spent there. This morning the doctor suggested that he might, just might, get out tomorrow so he was determined to do whatever they wanted between now and then. That meant lying still, no hobbling around no matter how restless he felt. Just to the rest room and back using a walker like a 90-year-old and that was it. As to the walker itself, Don was sure that Charlie had a hand in that knowing that the big, bad FBI agent wouldn't be seen dead in the hospital corridors using it.

At least the steady stream of visitors kept him from getting too bored. Alan had been in earlier but had left to go to a meeting with Stan, something to do with his latest business project. Alan's visit shortly after the doctor's this morning had finally given Don the opportunity to explain the situation of his and Megan's adventure up in the hills. He'd told the whole story, including the standoff where Toby had pointed Don's own weapon at Megan. But taking the story as a whole, Alan had conceded that perhaps it wasn't as bad as he'd feared just as Don had claimed.

True, Alan was far from happy with the idea that his son's and partner's weapons had been taken and that they'd had no option but to let the drug producer leave unhindered. But on the other hand Toby had helped them out, and Alan accepted that he most probably saved their lives with the rider that if he hadn't been trying to cut a firebreak the tree wouldn't have fallen on Don in the first place. So bearing in mind Toby's subsequent actions he could not find it in his heart to be too upset at what the man had done. The most important thing was that his eldest boy was here, safe and relatively well. He would also have a week of having his errant son at home where he could make sure he rested and healed as per doctor's orders. And maybe get the truth out of him regarding some other questionable situations where he'd come home slightly battered and a little worse for wear.

For his part Don hoped that having come clean on this tale and having it, truthfully, not being the end of the world that the next time he told his father 'it was nothing' he might actually listen and not press the point. Maybe.

He sighed and tuned Charlie back in. His brother was telling him some tale from one of his classes that Don suspected was meant to be funny but he was sure he had needed to be there to appreciate it.

"Can you believe it?" Charlie enthused.

"No, I can't."

"Oh, come on Don. Even you have heard of Pythagoras."

"Yeah, sure, but not the other math dudes." How Pythagoras and the other math dudes had ended up in the position his brother had just described made absolutely no sense to him. He gave his brother a somewhat lopsided smile. The light pain meds were wearing off and he figured it was going to take some time to get used to having screws and plates in his leg. Also the bruises from the where the branches of the tree had struck him were now making themselves felt now that the pain in his leg wasn't so bad. "Sorry bro'."

"You need to sit in on some of my classes." Charlie said.

"How about you just practice some of your lectures on me at home?" He wasn't going anywhere for another week or so. Getting some lectures at home, even if it were on math would still be a welcome distraction from four walls or the koi pond. It might also reduce the amount of time his father had to make good on the look he'd given as he left the hospital room. That Don would be 'home' at Charlie's place was a given.

"Deal." The feral grin on Charlies face indicated that he fully intended on delivering more than just 'some' lectures.

Don let out another sigh, it was promising to be a long week. The sudden tap at the door announced that yet another visitor had come to call. Don greeted the man he'd been waiting to see. "Agent Gideon."

"Cam, remember?" The DEA agent stopped at the end of the bed where Charlie was perched. "Professor."

"Charlie." He stuck out his hand. "How have you been?"

"Good. Cleaned up the Torrenz file. I owe you for your help on that Charlie." Cam had accepted the professor's help with mapping the importation routes Torrenz had been using to bring drugs into California and some other western seaboard cities The case had come together quickly after that and was now a convert to the idea of using math to solve cases. Charlie was going to find himself being offered some more consulting work. During that time Cam also learnt of the relationship between the two men which explained those confusing moments on the _Seahawk_ after he'd revealed his identity.

Charlie waved it off. "It was the least I could do."

Don shot the DEA agent a glance, wondering if Cam had shared the matter he'd wanted kept quiet. Charlie missed the silent query and Cam shook his head almost imperceptibly. The secret was safe.

"How did you go with Toby?" Don asked out loud. Megan had reported yesterday that she'd gone along on the raid to Toby's house with the DEA. They'd picked him up easily. Turned out he worked as a horticulturalist so had all the necessary skills to nurture the illegal plantation. The DEA also found plenty of notes and articles on producing Cannabis which helped seal their case.

"Strictly small fry." The DEA usually handled much larger drug plantations, those the size that Don and Megan had discovered were normally left to LAPD detectives. With the situation fully explained to him by Megan, Cam had been only too happy to deal with Toby. "He cooperated fully. That crop was his one and only investment. That's all it was to him, a cash crop. He hasn't smoked the stuff since college."

"He give you anything useful?"

"A couple of other names, mostly other small fry. Not linked together exactly, just known to each other. Similar interests you could say, but all dead ends. There was one name however that is of some interest. We'll work that and see what we turn up. Thanks for giving him to us." He meant it. He felt that he owed the FBI agent after the courage he'd shown on the Coast Guard cutter, especially after what he'd done to him before breaking cover.

Don had known it wouldn't be appropriate given what had happened for his team or even another FBI team to investigate Toby Cooper. He hadn't wanted to hand him over to the LAPD so Cam at the DEA was the most logical choice to ensure that Toby got a fair go. "No problem. What's going to happen with him?"

"In light of the circumstances and his cooperation we're asking for a suspended sentence with a long operational period, alternately an intensive corrections order. We won't run with the firearms charges so he'll be off lightly."

"Good. Sounds fair." Don glanced at his brother. Charlie was nodding his acceptance of Toby's lenient treatment.

"That's what we thought." Cam looked at him appraisingly then shook his head. "You sure are lucky, Don."

"I wouldn't call it lucky, getting held hostage on the _Seahawk_ then having a tree fall on me in the space of two months." Don groused.

"But you walked," Cam stopped and looked at the agent's leg that was elevated on a cushion. "Er, came away alive both times."

"I think that makes you lucky, Don." Charlie piped in.

"You don't believe in luck, Chuck."

"That's why I prefer to call it the 'Don Eppes Anomaly'." Charlie answered, grimacing at the nickname. He climbed off the bed and gave himself a little distance.

"I think I can run with that." Don agreed, at last a theorem named after him.

"Good. I plan to publish in about a month."

"What?"

Charlie ducked the magazine Don threw at him and headed out the door. "Coffee, Agent Gideon?"

Don got the last word in as the two men headed down the corridor. "Just you wait, Chuck. Tomorrow I get crutches!"

END

_A/N: Well that was something different for me. Thanks heaps for all the reviews along the way, seems the experiment generally worked. _

_Also, just in case the wrong impression was gained, I do not condone Toby's actions. He was committing a serious offence by producing Cannabis and was only given leniency due to the way he treated the agents. I've seen people affected by the stuff, both short and long term users, and it is not pretty. It is a truly dangerous drug._

_Anyway, enough preaching. The next story should be back to normal and hopefully up soon, with more action/angst for Don and Charlie. Alan gets to put in more of an appearance as well. Actually, truth be told, Alan wasn't too keen on the idea but like most people, stick a gun in his face and he does as he's told…_


End file.
